Give a holla for Challah!

Of all the breads that I make on a regular basis, Challah is the most popular with most of my friends and family. When I worked as a baker at the Italian restaurant in my hometown, we made Challah once a week - there was no other place to buy it in town, and there were some dedicated customers that would buy it from us every week.

Challah is a Jewish sweet egg bread, typically formed as a braid - the number of strands braided mean different things. I typically do a three strand braid, which traditionally symbolizes truth, peace, and justice.

More on the history of Challah can be found here:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/2/Food/Ashkenazic_Cuisine/Germany/Challah.shtml

On to the recipe. This is another recipe I would usually mix by hand, but I've tried to adapt it to a stand mixer. It came out pretty well, although the dough ball pretty much maxed out the capacity of my mixer bowl.

2 Cups lukewarm water

3 tsp highly active yeast

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/4 Cup + 2 T granulated sugar

3 large eggs

8-9 Cups all purpose flour

1. Start with 2 cups lukewarm water in your mixer bowl.

2. Add the yeast, mix on low speed for 10 seconds. Let it rest for a few minutes until bubbly.

3. Add the oil, sugar, and eggs, mix on low speed 30 seconds until incorporated.

4. Add 3 - 3.5 Cups of the flour, mix on low speed until a thick batter is formed. (See photo)

5. Remove the paddle and attach the dough hook. Add 4 Cups flour and begin to knead on low speed.

6. Continue kneading and adding flour 1/4 Cup at a time until the dough loses its stickiness, cleans the bowl, and forms a somewhat firm ball. (See photo)

7. Lightly oil the bowl, turn the dough to coat, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until slightly less than doubled. (About 30-45 minutes, see photo)

8. Turn the risen dough out onto the counter and shape into a log for easy dividing. Divide into 6 equal pieces. (See photo)

9. Shape each piece into a smooth tight ball. See the 4 steps in photos below. Start by pushing the center of the ball down and pulling opposite sides up to meet on top.

10. Rotate the ball and repeat. Each time you rotate and repeat, pull a little less up so the pinched portion on top gets smaller and smaller. This stretches the other side out forming a smooth, tight ball.

11. Repeat to form all six balls.

12. Now, working with three balls at a time, roll the dough out, playdough style, into strands about two feet long, about one inch in diameter. (See photo)

13. Pinch one end of each strand together, and braid the three strands together. When you get to the end, pinch them together and tuck each end underneath. (See photo)

14. Place the shaped loaf on a pan (no greasing necessary) taking care to lay it straight. Repeat with the other loaf.

15. Prepare a simple egg wash by beating an egg in a bowl, and thoroughly brush the top of the loaf with the wash. Make sure to get all the crevices where the braids meet.

16. Sprinkle the loaf generously with poppy seeds. (See photo)

17. Do not set out to rise before baking. Immediately bake in a preheated 375 degree oven.

18. Spray your oven with water, set your timer for 5 minutes. Spray at 5 minutes, and 10 minutes without disturbing the loaves.

19. After spraying at 10 minutes, set the timer for 8 minutes. Rotate the loaves every 8 minutes until nicely browned. (See photo) Baking time will be about 30 minutes total.

20. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.

Enjoy!

P.S. - If any of the bread lasts beyond the first day, Challah makes the most amazing French Toast you'll ever have...

Happy Baking!

Some basic ingredients	After the first flour addition
The final dough ball	Risen and ready to shape
Shape the dough into a log	Cut into six equal pieces
Forming a ball step 1	Step 2
Step 3	Step 4
The finished ball	Ready to roll
Rolled out	Braiding the loaf
Braided	Ready to top
Egg wash and poppy seeds	Out of the oven

Pesto bread

Ok, we can all agree that bread is wonderful. But how can we make it more wonderful? Well, I guess we could top it, but then the toppings get all dried out. I know, we can fill it!

Great idea.

So, let's take a great bread recipe (foccacia) and instead of rolling it out flat and baking in rounds, we'll fill it with something really great: Pesto. And cheese of course. Lots, and lots of cheese.

I've been making this bread for a long time - about 16 years, since I started baking at Geppetto's in Anacortes. This was one of the flagship breads in the shop - and one of the most popular. It's not particularly difficult to make either.

It is difficult to write down my foccacia recipe - I make it largely by feel. I know what each stage should look and feel like, but I'll do my best to write down some basic measurements and you can go from there. I usually mix my dough by hand, but I'm trying to adapt some of my recipes to a mixer, to make it easier for others to make them.

2 cups warm water (not hot)

3 tsp active dry yeast (you buy in bulk, right?)

1 tsp salt

3T granulated white sugar

5-6 cups all purpose flour

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

8 oz shredded asiago cheese

8 oz basil pesto

1. Pour the water into the bowl of your stand mixer. (Install the paddle attachment)

2. Add the yeast, and mix on the lowest setting for about 10 seconds until the yeast is dissolved.

3. Let it rest for a minute or two, until the yeast has begun to activate.

4. Add the salt and sugar, mix on the lowest setting for about 20 seconds until dissolved.

5. Add 2.5-3 cups of flour and start mixing on the lowest setting. Watch the consistency of the batter that is formed - it should be like waffle batter - thick, but not so thick it forms a real dough yet. Start with 2.5 cups of flour, and add a little more at a time until you achieve this consistency. (See picture below)

6. Remove the paddle attachment, and replace with the dough hook.

7. Add another 2.5 cups of flour, and begin to knead on the lowest setting. Again, watch the consistency - the dough will initially stick to the bowl, but as you gradually knead in more flour, it will move from sticky to tacky, and will clean the bowl and form a smooth ball. Kneading should take 10-15 minutes total. (See picture below)

8. Lightly oil the bowl with olive oil, turn the dough ball in the oil to coat, and cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled (45 mins-1 hour)

9. When the dough has risen, pour it out onto a smooth surface (do not flour the countertop)

10. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle - about 20-24 inches wide, 10-12 inches long, 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough in half. (See picture below)

11. Spread the pesto to cover each half of dough - make sure you leave about an inch on all sides, otherwise the oil in the pesto will not allow you to seal the seam of the finished loaf. Then you'll have melted cheese and pesto all over the inside of your oven. Trust me, you do not want this. Leave the inch.

12. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella on each loaf, followed by half the asiago.

13. Now, from the bottom edge nearest you, tightly roll each rectangle up to the top. Make sure it is tightly rolled, or all the pesto/cheese will melt down to the bottom of the loaf.

14. Here's the only real technique laden part of the process - firmly pinch to seal along the long edge and tuck the ends in and pull the dough over the top, then pinch to seal the ends. It takes some practice to get a good seal. Repeat with the other loaf.

15. Now here is where (this time only) I deviated from my normal routine. I recommend you skip to step 16. Normally, the finished loaf of this bread has a much higher concentration of pesto and cheese at the bottom of the loaf, and only trace amounts in the top of the loaf. This is not entirely due to gravity, as I discovered. To attempt to mitigate this, I tried to twist the loaf, much like I did the chocolate babka. I did two loaves - one twisted only one way, and another where I twisted, then folded the entire thing over and twisted again. In the end, it did not fix the bottom concentration problem, but it did produce two very unique looking loaves. I have realized that the concentration at the bottom is due to the rise of the bottom portion of dough being inhibited by the filling, so only the top layers of dough rise properly. Oh well, I'll just keep doing it the way I always have. On to step 16.

16. Place the loaves, seam side down, onto a baking sheet. Set them in a warm place to rise before baking (25-30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

17. Carefully place the loaves in the oven to bake - spray the bottom of the oven with water and gently close the door. Set a timer for 4 minutes.

18. After 4 minutes, spray the oven again. Reset the timer.

19. After 4 more minutes, spray the oven again, set the timer for 8 minutes.

20. Every 8 minutes, check the bread and rotate the pan. When the bread has turned golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped, remove from the oven. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

21. Slice and serve - it is amazing while still warm!

There are any number of variations on this - some really good fillings I've tried are sundried tomato pesto with prosciutto and mozzarella, and freshly chopped basil and tomatoes with chopped fresh mozzarella (like a self-contained bruschetta)

Happy Baking!

After the first flour addition	Kneading
The final dough ball	Oiled, ready to rise
The dough has risen.	Rolled and cut
Don't forget to leave the inch!	Cheese. Wonderful cheese.
All cheesed up	Rolled nice and tight
This is the loaf I twisted like babka	Ready for the last rise
Out of the oven	The final product

Belgian waffles, the REAL thing.

Waffles aren't on my list... yet, but these are amazing and deserve to be noted here.

If you've ever ordered Belgian waffles off an American restaurant menu, you've been misled. I happened across this post when a friend on Facebook posted a link. The author is from Tuscany, and his wife is from Belgium (Liege), and apparently this recipe is from her grandfather's recipes. I don't think it gets more authentic than that.

The waffles are flavorful and sweet - plus a little crunchy. They can be eaten plain or with your favorite toppings, served hot, warm, or cold. They come out pretty small - about 4 inches across. The original recipe said it made 10, so I doubled it, thinking 10 small waffles would not be enough for my family of four. It was enough. It made about 2 dozen waffles, and we have about 16 leftover. They're pretty rich - I ate two and was full.

On to the recipe! (The original can be viewed at www.tuscanfoodie.com)

Waffles from Liege (Adapted for a double recipe)

Batter 1
4 packages active dry yeast
1/2 C lukewarm water
2 C all purpose flour
2T sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2/3 C lukewarm milk

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water in a bowl, add 1 T flour and 1T sugar. Let it rest for a few minutes until it foams (see picture).
2. Add the remaining flour (you measured by spooning and not scooping,right?) into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, and milk. Mix together until smooth. Unlike most American waffle/pancake recipes, this should really be very smooth. (See picture)
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in volume.

Batter 2:

2 sticks + 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature (I told you these were good!)
3 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tsp cinnamon
2 oz vanilla sugar (I just used a little more vanilla extract, and used regular sugar)
2 pinches of salt
1 C pearl sugar

* Pearl sugar comes as BB sized pellets of sugar - you can find it at specialty grocery stores (I found it at Central Market) It retains its shape through cooking, and adds a great sweet crunch to the waffles. You can also buy it on Amazon.

1. In your stand mixer, mix all ingredients until well incorporated. It will be like dry cookie dough. (See photo)
2. Add batter 2 to batter 1. If you do it the other way around, it is much more difficult to get all of batter 1 out of the bowl.
3. Mix together with your hands until it forms a well mixed batter. It will be thicker than your usual waffle batter.

Preheat your waffle iron. I've found that the waffles aren't large enough to trigger the sensor in my iron - so I just had to watch it closely. They only take 2-3 minutes to cook.

Drop the batter in about 1/4 cupfuls onto the waffle iron - it's a small enough amount of batter that I was able to make two at once, even on my small round waffle iron.

This makes a lot - set them aside on a rack to cool while you make the rest. Remember, you've got yeast in there (quite a bit, in fact) so if you don't cook them quickly, they will rise and become very dense when you cook them.

What a way to start the day!

Happy... Waffling!

The yeast is foamy	Mix until very smooth
The second batter	It has risen well
The final batter	On the iron to cook
The first ones are done	It made a lot!
Ready to eat. So good.	Bacon makes everything better!

Banana Bread. When in doubt, make it twice.

So I've never actually made banana bread before, and there's a good reason for that. I have a strong dislike for bananas. So, for this recipe, you're going to have to trust the taste testing abilities of my family.

I know there are hundreds of varieties of banana bread out there, so rather than spend the rest of my life baking bread that I don't like, I decided to try making two recipes, and call it good. The first recipe, which I'll lovingly refer to as Recipe #1, is based on a recipe from Flour Bakery in Boston. This is the more traditional banana bread that I chose to make, but as you'll see, it is anything but plain.

Let's get right to the recipe:

1 2/3 Cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 Cup plus 2 T granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 Cup oil

3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed

2 T sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Prepare a loaf pan by greasing the sides and lining the bottom with wax or parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a medium mixing bowl.

3. In another medium bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.

4. While continuing to whisk, drizzle in the oil until combined.

5. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, mix until combined.

6. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients - be sure not to overmix, gently fold until moistened.

7. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (I had to bake 1 hour).

8. When a toothpick comes out clean, cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.

A side note: Be very gentle removing this from the oven. I bumped it oh so slightly, and the center fell instantly.

My family enjoyed this one - said it was very moist and flavorful.

On to recipe #2!

This recipe is one that I found where someone had modified a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I modified their recipe further, so who knows what it really is. My family calls it, "Yum!"

2 Cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 Cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 Cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 1/2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 Cup plain yogurt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled (if you use it hot, it will cook the eggs)

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F

1. Prepare a loaf pan by greasing the sides and lining the bottom with wax or parchment paper.

2. Mix the banana, eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

3. Stir the chocolate into the banana mixture (adding it now reduces the risk of over mixing)

4. Sift the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl and add to the banana mixture.

5. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet. As above, be careful not to overmix.

6. Pour into prepared pan and put into the oven.

7. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.

My family's comments on this bread were that it was slightly less sweet than the first (I used less sugar because I was adding chocolate), and that is was "Sooo good!"

Happy Baking!

The most important ingredient: Bananas!	Recipe #1 ready for the oven
Ready to enjoy	Chocolate makes everything better
Recipe #2 ready for the oven	Yum.

Banana Bread!

• I know it's not next on my list, but considering the overripe fruit sitting on my counter, and my plethora of time this long weekend, I thought I would skip to Banana Bread. First, a brief history of time:

• The term "pearlash," is used to describe potassium carbonate, which was used to chemically leaven breads in the late 1700s, a process which led to the making of quick breads. Before the discovery of pearlash, breads were leavened mainly by the use of yeast or something containing yeast, such as beer. This was a long process because it takes time for the yeast to grow. With pearlash, quick breads were made possible because the potassium carbonate did the work of the yeast in much less time.

• Baking powder was introduced in the mid 1800's, replacing pearlash as a chemical leavening agent allowing the making of quick breads easy for all cooks. Baking powder, or sodium bicarbonate, releases carbon dioxide during the leavening process. A British inventor named Alfred Bird found that by adding a mild acid like cream of tartar to baking soda he could make a stable product that would leaven during the baking process.

• Banana bread became popular in the 1930s. Its popularity seems to coincide with the popularity of baking powder by housewives as a leavening ingredient for quick breads.Banana bread is so popular in Australia that February 23rd of every year is set aside as National Banana Bread Day.

Well, today July 2 is Banana Bread Day in the Moe household. On to the bread! I'll let you know how it comes out.

Happy Baking!

Babka... The Other White Bread.

Babka.

The word can stand on its own, but that wouldn't be fair to you. I will attempt, using words and pictures, to convey just how wonderful this bread really is. What it really boils down to is: You HAVE to make this.

There's a lot of information about the history of babka out there, and I've found that Google can find me about 3 billion different unique recipes that are "just like we used to have when I was a kid."

Rather than regurgitate all of it here, I'll give you a link. But I recommend you make the bread first, and then read the history while you're eating.

A brief history of babka

On Seinfeld, in the episode called "The Dinner Party" Jerry and Elaine are at a bakery, to buy something to bring with them to a party. Elaine chose the bakery because they specialize in babka. More specifically, chocolate babka. But they forget to take a number, and someone else going to the same party buys the last chocolate babka.

JERRY: That was our Babka. We had that Babka!

ELAINE: What's this one?

CLERK: That's cinnamon Babka.

JERRY: Another Babka?

CLERK: There's chocolate and there's cinnamon.

JERRY: Well, we've got to get the cinnamon.

ELAINE: No, but they got the chocolate. We'll be going in with a lesser Babka.

JERRY: I beg your pardon? Cinnamon takes a back seat to no Babka. People love cinnamon. It should be on tables at restaurants along with salt and pepper. Anytime anyone says, "Oh This is so good. What's in it?" The answer invariably comes back, Cinnamon. Cinnamon. Again and again. Lesser Babka - I think not.

ELAINE: I'll have the cinnamon Babka.

So, armed with the information that both cinnamon and chocolate are valid, I was faced with a dilemma. Should I make a chocolate, or a cinnamon babka?

My research uncovered a wonderful compromise. A cinnamon-chocolate babka. A delicious idea? Yes. Twice as good? An understatement.

The babka I made is without a doubt the most decadent thing I have ever made. There is more chocolate filling than the dough that contains it. Chocolate, cinnamon, streusel, butter, this has it all. Here we go!

1/2 C warm milk

1 packet (2 tsp) yeast (I recommend highly active "Rapid Rise" yeast for less waiting time for your babka)

1/4 C sugar plus a pinch extra

1 large egg

1 small egg yolk

2 C all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in 1 inch pieces

1. Pour warm milk into a small bowl. Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the milk, let it stand until bubbly (3-5 minutes)

2. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 C sugar, 1 large egg, and a small egg yolk. Add the yeast mixture and whisk to combine.

3. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Add the egg mixture, beat on low speed until the flour is incorporated and it forms a thick batter (30 seconds).

4. Change to the dough hook. Add the 2/3 stick of butter, and knead until the butter is incorporated and a smooth, soft dough that's slightly sticky is formed (about 10 minutes). You may need to add flour a tablespoon at a time to form a dough instead of a batter. Don't add too much flour! It should be very loose - much like the angel biscuit recipe.

5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead only a few times, form into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl, coat the dough in the oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3/4 lbs semisweet chocolate (Use good chocolate!)

1T ground cinnamon

4T unsalted butter, room temperature, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 small egg

1T whipping cream (or whole milk)

6. Roughly chop the chocolate, then process in a food processor until the size of peas or smaller.

7. In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate and cinnamon. Add the butter, and cut it in with a pastry blender until well combined, set filling aside.

8. Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan by greasing the sides, line the bottom with parchment or wax paper (CRITICAL STEP)

9. Beat the egg in a small bowl with the cream to make an egg wash, set aside.

10. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a floured surface. Let it rest for 5 minutes, and then roll out into a 16x16 inch square, about 1/8" thick.

11. Brush the outer inch with the egg wash. Spread the chocolate filling evenly over the dough, leave about a half inch border.

12. Roll the dough up tightly, pinching the ends to seal. Twist the entire roll 5 or 6 times (CAREFULLY!) Brush the top with egg wash, then fold the right side over the left. Twist 2 more times and fit into the prepared pan.

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/4 C + 1T all-purpose flour

4T unsalted butter, room temperature

13. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and butter. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the streusel forms clumps ranging in size up to 1 inch.

14. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top with more egg wash, then sprinkle streusel over the top (lots of streusel!) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

15. Bake the babka for 40 minutes, rotating after 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes, until the streusel turns golden.

16. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and serve.

Happy Baking!

My favorite co-baker	Mixing the dough
Ready to Rise	All rolled out!
Chopped chocolate	Filling is ready
Filled, rolling it up	All rolled up
Trust me, it twists!	One more rise to go!
Ready for the oven	Only minutes from edible!
Amazing. Wonderful. Chocolate.